Method of programming a load control device

Abstract

A load control device is able to receive radio-frequency (RF) signals from a Wi-Fi-enabled device, such as a smart phone, via a wireless local area network. The load control device comprises a controllably conductive device adapted to be coupled in series between an AC power source and an electrical load, a controller for rendering the controllably conductive device conductive and non-conductive, and a Wi-Fi module operable to receive the RF signals from the wireless network. The controller controls the controllably conductive device to adjust the power delivered to the load in response to the wireless signals received from the wireless network. The load control device may further comprise an optical module operable to receive an optical signal, such that the controller may obtain an IP address from the received optical signal and control the power delivered to the load in response to a wireless signal that includes the IP address.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A load control device to adjust power delivered from a power source to an electrical load device, the load control device comprising:
 memory circuitry; 
 communication circuitry; and 
 control circuitry communicatively coupled to the memory circuitry and the communication circuitry, the control circuitry to:
 receive configuration information from a wireless control device using first wireless communication protocol; 
 store the received configuration information in the memory circuitry; 
 transmit a confirmation message responsive to receipt of the configuration information from the wireless control device; 
 connect, via the communication circuitry using a second wireless communication protocol, to a network router using the configuration information received from the wireless control device; and 
 receive at least one command from the network router using the second wireless communication protocol. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The load control device of  claim 1  wherein the control circuitry to further:
 receive at least one command to control one or more parameters of the electrical load from the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol. 
 
     
     
       3. The load control device of  claim 1  wherein to receive the configuration information from the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol, the control circuitry to further:
 receive the configuration information from the wireless control device using a Bluetooth® wireless communication protocol. 
 
     
     
       4. The load control device of  claim 1  wherein to receive the configuration information from the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol, the control circuitry to further:
 receive the configuration information from the wireless control device using a Near Field Communication (NFC) wireless communication protocol. 
 
     
     
       5. The load control device of  claim 1  wherein to receive the configuration information from the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol, the control circuitry to further:
 receive the configuration information from the wireless control device using an optical communication protocol. 
 
     
     
       6. The load control device of  claim 1  wherein to receive the configuration information from the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol, the control circuitry to further:
 receive configuration information that includes network access credentials from the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol. 
 
     
     
       7. The load control device of  claim 6  wherein to receive the configuration information that includes the network access credentials from the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol, the control circuitry to further:
 receive a service set identifier (SSID) and an SSID password from the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol. 
 
     
     
       8. The load control device of  claim 1  wherein to transmit the confirmation message responsive to receipt of the configuration information from the wireless control device, the control circuitry to further:
 transmit a confirmation message to the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol responsive to receipt of the configuration information from the wireless control device. 
 
     
     
       9. The load control device of  claim 1  wherein to transmit the confirmation message responsive to receipt of the configuration information from the wireless control device, the control circuitry to further:
 cause the electrical load device to generate a human-perceptible output responsive to receipt of the configuration information from the wireless control device. 
 
     
     
       10. The load control device of  claim 1  wherein to transmit the confirmation message responsive to receipt of the configuration information from the wireless control device, the control circuitry to further:
 cause the network router to transmit the confirmation message to the wireless control device using the second wireless control protocol responsive to receipt of the configuration information from the wireless control device. 
 
     
     
       11. The load control device of  claim 1  wherein to connect to the network router using the configuration information received from the wireless control device, the control circuitry to further:
 connect, via the communication circuitry using an Internet Protocol (IP) compliant protocol, to the network router using the configuration information received from the wireless control device. 
 
     
     
       12. The load control device of  claim 1  wherein to connect to the network router using the configuration information received from the wireless control device, the control circuitry to further:
 connect, via the communication circuitry using a proprietary protocol, to the network router using the configuration information received from the wireless control device. 
 
     
     
       13. The load control device of  claim 1  wherein to receive the at least one command from the network router using the second wireless communication protocol, the control circuitry to further:
 receive, from the network router using the second wireless communication protocol, at least one command to adjust the power delivered to the electrical load device operatively coupled to the load control device. 
 
     
     
       14. A load control method to adjust power delivered from a power source to an electrical load device via a load control device, the method comprising:
 receiving, by load control device control circuitry, configuration information from a wireless control device using first wireless communication protocol; 
 storing, by the load control device control circuitry, the received configuration information in communicatively coupled memory circuitry; 
 causing, by the load control device control circuitry, transmission of a confirmation message responsive to receipt of the configuration information from the wireless control device; 
 connecting, via communicatively coupled communication circuitry, to a network router using the configuration information received from the wireless control device using a second wireless communication protocol; and 
 receiving, by the load control device control circuitry, at least one command from the network router using the second wireless communication protocol. 
 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the load control device control circuitry, at least one command to control one or more parameters of the electrical load from the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 14  wherein receiving the configuration information from the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol further comprises:
 receiving, by the load control device control circuitry, the configuration information from the wireless control device using a Bluetooth® wireless communication protocol. 
 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 14  wherein receiving the configuration information from the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol further comprises:
 receiving, by the load control device control circuitry, the configuration information from the wireless control device using a Near Field Communication (NFC) wireless communication protocol. 
 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 14  wherein receiving the configuration information from the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol further comprising:
 receiving, by the load control device control circuitry, the configuration information from the wireless control device using an optical communication protocol. 
 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 14  wherein receiving the configuration information from the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol further comprises:
 receiving, by the load control device control circuitry, configuration information that includes one or more network access credentials from the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol. 
 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 19  wherein receiving the configuration information that includes the one or more network access credentials from the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol further comprises:
 receiving, by the load control device control circuitry, a service set identifier (SSID) and an SSID password from the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol. 
 
     
     
       21. The method of  claim 14  wherein causing the transmission of the confirmation message responsive to receipt of the configuration information from the wireless control device further comprises:
 causing, by the load control device control circuitry, a transmission of the confirmation message to the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol responsive to receipt of the configuration information from the wireless control device. 
 
     
     
       22. The method of  claim 14  wherein causing the transmission of the confirmation message responsive to receipt of the configuration information from the wireless control device further comprises:
 causing, by the load control device control circuitry, the electrical load device to generate a human-perceptible output responsive to receipt of the configuration information from the wireless control device. 
 
     
     
       23. The method of  claim 14  wherein causing the transmission of the confirmation message responsive to receipt of the configuration information from the wireless control device further comprises:
 causing, by the load control device control circuitry, the network router to transmit the confirmation message to the wireless control device using the second wireless control protocol responsive to receipt of the configuration information from the wireless control device. 
 
     
     
       24. The method of  claim 14  wherein connecting to the network router using the configuration information received from the wireless control device further comprises:
 connecting, by the load control device control circuitry using an Internet Protocol (IP) compliant protocol, to the network router using the configuration information received from the wireless control device. 
 
     
     
       25. The method of  claim 14  wherein connecting to the network router using the configuration information received from the wireless control device further comprises:
 connecting, by the load control device control circuitry using a proprietary protocol, to the network router using the configuration information received from the wireless control device. 
 
     
     
       26. The method of  claim 14  wherein receiving the at least one command from the network router using the second wireless communication protocol further comprises:
 receiving, by the load control device control circuitry, at least one command to adjust the power delivered to the electrical load device operatively coupled to the load control device from the network router using the second wireless communication protocol. 
 
     
     
       27. A non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device that includes instructions that, when executed by load control device control circuitry that adjusts power delivered from a power source to an electrical load device, causes the control circuitry to:
 receive configuration information from a wireless control device using first wireless communication protocol; 
 store the received configuration information in memory circuitry communicatively coupled to the load control device control circuitry; 
 cause transmission of a confirmation message responsive to receipt of the configuration information from the wireless control device; 
 connect to a network router using the configuration information received from the wireless control device using a second wireless communication protocol; and 
 receive at least one command from the network router using the second wireless communication protocol. 
 
     
     
       28. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of  claim 27  wherein the instructions, when executed by the load control device control circuitry further cause the control circuitry to:
 receive at least one command to control one or more parameters of the electrical load from the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol. 
 
     
     
       29. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of  claim 27  wherein the instructions that cause the load control device control circuitry to receive the configuration information from the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol further cause the control circuitry to:
 receive the configuration information from the wireless control device using a Bluetooth® wireless communication protocol. 
 
     
     
       30. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of  claim 27  wherein the instructions that cause the load control device control circuitry to receive the configuration information from the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol further cause the control circuitry to:
 receive the configuration information from the wireless control device using a Near Field Communication (NFC) wireless communication protocol. 
 
     
     
       31. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of  claim 27  wherein the instructions that cause the load control device control circuitry to receive the configuration information from the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol further cause the control circuitry to:
 receive the configuration information from the wireless control device using an optical communication protocol. 
 
     
     
       32. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of  claim 27  wherein the instructions that cause the load control device control circuitry to receive the configuration information from the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol further cause the control circuitry to:
 receive configuration information that includes one or more network access credentials from the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol. 
 
     
     
       33. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of  claim 32  wherein the instructions that cause the load control device control circuitry to receive the configuration information that includes the one or more network access credentials from the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol further cause the control circuitry to:
 receive a service set identifier (SSID) and an SSID password from the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol. 
 
     
     
       34. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of  claim 27  wherein the instructions that cause the load control device control circuitry to cause the transmission of the confirmation message responsive to receipt of the configuration information from the wireless control device further cause the control circuitry to:
 cause a transmission of the confirmation message to the wireless control device using the first wireless communication protocol responsive to receipt of the configuration information from the wireless control device. 
 
     
     
       35. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of  claim 27  wherein the instructions that cause the load control device control circuitry to cause the transmission of the confirmation message responsive to receipt of the configuration information from the wireless control device further cause the control circuitry to:
 cause the electrical load device to generate a human-perceptible output responsive to receipt of the configuration information from the wireless control device. 
 
     
     
       36. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of  claim 27  wherein the instructions that cause the load control device control circuitry to cause the transmission of the confirmation message responsive to receipt of the configuration information from the wireless control device further cause the control circuitry to:
 cause the network router to transmit the confirmation message to the wireless control device using the second wireless control protocol responsive to receipt of the configuration information from the wireless control device. 
 
     
     
       37. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of  claim 27  wherein the instructions that cause the load control device control circuitry to connect to the network router using the configuration information received from the wireless control device further cause the control circuitry to:
 connect to the network router using an Internet Protocol (IP) compliant protocol to communicate the configuration information received from the wireless control device. 
 
     
     
       38. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of  claim 27  wherein the instructions that cause the load control device control circuitry to connect to the network router using the configuration information received from the wireless control device further cause the control circuitry to:
 connect to the network router using a proprietary protocol to communicate the configuration information received from the wireless control device. 
 
     
     
       39. The non-transitory, machine-readable, storage device of  claim 27  wherein the instructions that cause the load control device control circuitry to receive the at least one command from the network router using the second wireless communication protocol, further cause the control circuitry to:
 receive, from the network router, at least one command using the second wireless communication protocol, the at least one command to adjust the power delivered to the electrical load device operatively coupled to the load control device.